Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology uses radio frequency (RF) waves to exchange information for a variety of purposes, including identification. An RFID system typically includes an RFID reader or transceiver having an antenna and an RFID tag or transponder containing information. Active RFID systems utilize a dedicated power source to power RFID tags. In contrast, passive RFID systems do not rely on an internal power source to power RFID tags. Instead, the antenna of the RFID reader emits RF signals to activate passive RFID tags within a reading range. When activated, the passive RFID tags are configured to transmit a responding signal to the RFID reader.
RFID technology has been widely used for tracking and monitoring items. For example, RFID systems are used in warehouses to monitor the movement of products and inventory. In many inventory control systems, an RFID tag containing a unique code is attached to items in the warehouse. This allows each item in the warehouse to be identified by the unique code of the attached RFID tag. One or more RFID readers are installed at predefined locations in the warehouse to read the RFID tags attached to the items. By keeping track of all the unique codes read by the RFID readers, an accurate record of inventory levels and movement is maintained. Accordingly, the use of RFID technology in inventory control systems also reduces the possibility of human error, which may arise in manual tracking processes.
In large-scale deployment of RFID technology for inventory control systems, the positioning of the RFID readers in the warehouse is crucial. Current positioning techniques of the RFID readers in warehouses typically result in blind-spots in the RFID signal coverage or interferences between the RFID readers. For example, insufficient RFID readers or poor RFID reader placement in the warehouse may result in less than 100% area coverage of the RFID reader signals. Therefore, RFID tags in certain locations of the warehouse will not be read by the RFID readers. Similarly, if the RFID readers are spaced too closely together, interference among the RFID readers reduces the reliability and efficiency of the RFID system.
It would thus be beneficial to have the ability to obtain data from RFID tags positioned throughout a relatively large space without suffering from the disadvantages and drawbacks associated with conventional tracking techniques.